Has it been about a year? I said we could talk about it in a year. I figured it would take me that long to process it. It’s been about 100 days. I’m okay now. I hardly ever have the nightmares anymore.

Not. Kidding.

Okay, so my line of work isn’t important to this blog. I research, write, and organize. I worked in this field twenty years ago and it’s what I decided to go back to two years ago.

I have had many, many different kinds of jobs — hardware, paper, food service, office, education, sales, finance, pizza delivery girl. My happiness is always, always determined by the people.

There are those who will say work isn’t about being happy and to them I say, Fuck Right Off. If I’m going to GET UP IN THE MORNING AND PUT ON A BRA AND PANTS AND LEAVE MY PETS, I’M GOING TO NEED A LEVEL OF SATISFACTION BEYOND FINANCIAL GAIN.

Do you KNOW how cute and sweet and cuddly my pets are?!?

I like myself more than I like nice things. I’m not saying work should be fun, I’m saying work should be rewarding.

So I took a job in a small office. Normally, my jobs have more than one of me, but this place was small enough that it was just me. I prefer the smaller offices. I like the clarity of expectations that come from knowing how a particular person likes things done and being ahead of those expectations. This is me, as a person. Being of service, being the right-hand woman, I enjoy that. I enjoy collaboration and teamwork for the greater good — it’s crucial, but I thrive in solitary detail. Wind beneath wings, alright?

The job was in a fancy office, in a fancy building, where I would wear fancier clothes and I would therefore receive a fancier rate: IF THE FUCKIN CHECK DIDN’T BOUNCE, fancy broke bad check writin motherfuckers GODDAMN: I wanted the job. I liked the illusions I was sold. I was slobbering about paid bank holidays and two weeks off at the end of the year.
I worked there for 5.5 days. Mid-afternoon day six, I was fired.
Well for fuck’s sake. I’d never been fired before. It.is.not.pleasant.

I had one nice thing to say about getting fired: I HATED THAT COMMUTE.

I take the job thing like anything else. With checklists. Compromise on this, unwilling to compromise on that. For instance, due to the busfuckedupedness I’ve experienced, I need to drive my kids to school. Period.
Further, I don’t want to get on the interstate in rush hour.
I don’t wanna work all the bank holidays, even if it means unpaid. These things matter to me. They’re not petty to me, they’re important to me, because my entire family is home every bank holiday and my mother goes to bed when I eat dinner and she won’t talk to me while I drive home, even ‘hands-free’.

Much like ‘getting over a man is best done by getting under a new one’ I immediately pursued a new job. I debated whether I should totally change gears. Work in a bakery or for a vet or a florist, I dunno. Somethin different. I can do a lot of things. I am lovable and capable. Goddamn.

Mentor told me I should come work with her at her office. When I left the office where Mentor and I used to work together, I’d exhausted all possibilities of growth there. I wanted more. I honestly stayed on a month longer because of her. She is an amazing person… Y’all, she’s wicked smart and a natural leader; she has this way of recognizing and developing ability in me. If you’ve had this, this sorta awe and respect for a person and they’re willing to invest their time and effort into you, then you get it. That’s why even when I left, she remained Mentor.

Sadly, because of Mentor’s abode, I assumed she also worked ‘up there’ and y’all, I didn’t wanna. Images of roundabouts filled my head. She asked if I was interested, and I was like, “Kinda, but isn’t it farrr?”
She said she didn’t think so.
(She’s not from here. She dunno the city.)
Then she told me the cross streets and I almost peed my pants with excitement. I squeed. Location: Ideal

So Mentor pitched me to her new people saying, “We need this woman.”
I wasn’t sure they needed me. They weren’t actively seeking any of me.
Mentor sent me a photo of her office, files piling up, and I laughed and text back, “Mentor, Mentor, Mentor, Tsk.”
She needed me, Haha!
That’s how she became my mentor got me, originally.
I am naturally gifted with organization and worse, I truly enjoy it.
Sometimes your neurosis is a pleasure, what can I say?

Fresh from my bad break-up, I needed to score. I had some really terrible interviews during this time of hot job pursuit.

I grew jaded, I did.

Mentor pitched me to her bosses and I met with them. Upon leaving my three-hour meeting with the people, I could not suppress my hope in the least. I wanted it so badly, only joy or devastation could come from it.

Oh it was misery for two days, the waiting, UGH.

It happened. They offered. They offered me a position, warmly, with enthusiasm. They offered me more pay than fancy office, more pay than I asked for, not working overtime, not working past dark come winter.

The first few weeks, I worked in Mentor’s office and I walked around hummin “Reunited” a la Peaches n’ Herb.

Sometimes, the stars all align and magical shit happens and dreams really do come true.
Jiminey Cricket, I still cannot believe it.

Y’ever hear that thing about getting what you want when you make it clear to the Universe what it is exactly? This is my Maybe So:

1. Mentor is there. This means I learn constantly. Every day. I do what she tells me and when I need direction, she provides it. Or she throws me in and I swim, and when I start to drown, she laughs and redirects.

2. The verbal ability in my office. Jeez. The magnitude of word choice, the writing, the cadence, the articulation, the puns… Such mastery of language is impressive.

3. This unworldly particular group of people seems to enjoy things about me that tend to give me trouble with most people: asking ‘too many’ questions, displaying frequent candor, seeing everything with meticulous scrutiny. I was recently praised for not taking shit. !!!

4. We don’t seem to people it up over there. Guests must be buzzed in, voicemail is rare, work is frequently independent and uninterrupted.

5. It’s close. It’s the closest commute I’ve had since I walked to work as a teen. It’s close to home and schools and groceries and Target and Starbucks and the bank that doesn’t charge me a fee.

6. I have my own office. It has a door. It has windows. It has a nice art. It is completely devoid of fluorescent lighting. If we staff up, I may end up back in Mentor’s office, but there still won’t be fluorescent lighting.

7. There is no office music. Y’all, I love music. Truly. However, when I need to write, or God forbid, math, I do it better in the quiet.

8. Jeans are not verboten. I have not seen any suits. Jackets, no suits.

9. Whatever I wanna eat or drink, I ask the office manager for it, and it appears directly. Complimentary lunch is fairly regular.

10. Free parking. Shaded parking. Conveniently located at the office, no ramps, no half-mile walk out to Scooby-Doo 6. You know what’s out there? Birds, squirrels, cats, ants.

11. I heard one of my bosses bragging about us on the phone and he said, “They’re so great, I don’t even care if they hear me!”

12. If I need to leave early or arrive late due to other obligations, I simply note my absence and make up my time much as possible.

13. The digital files are arranged the way everyone should arrange their files. I had no idea how important this was until I encountered the opposite. It’s really fucking important to me.

14. I drive west in the morning and east in the evening and the sun is never in my eyes.

I’m so happy for you, Joey! Great co-workers and supervisors make all the difference, and the other perks like free parking, flexible schedule, etc. definitely help a lot. I know. Sounds like you lucked out just like I did. Here’s to both of us [raising coffee cup in toast]!

This is one of those times when I read your story, I smile, nod (you saw it, right), and simply have nothing to say except, “Yep. I get that.” I also loved that ‘new guy’ thing. Never heard that before. Chuckled OL.

So happy you found your Xanadu. Gotta say even though I am recently retired, I’m completely and totally jealous. How fantastic can a job opportunity get? It is true though sometimes the stars do align and the heavens open and there is music. Here’s hoping it lasts a very long time for you.

You know, I’ve had them before. They’re out there, the great jobs. Few and far between. I loved card shop, hardware, and bank — which proves it’s never the job, it’s the people.
Maybe, if you want it, you’ll find a nice retirement gig? Thank you so very much 🙂

Not really looking but if one of those fell in my lap I might be temper. As it is I’ve got a job working one day every other month for people that treat me like family and pay me quite well for that one day. Can’t beat it for now.

This post reminds me of the expression ‘you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find Prince Charming’. You went through a lot of job-hell to find job-heaven. When, when, when will employers finally learn that a better, more successful company will result from creating a supportive environment where employees feel like they are treated well?!
Congrats Joey!!

Thanks!
I. Don’t. Know! But it’s true. When people feel valued, when they feel like what they do matters, they work harder to accomplish tasks. You need to spread the word.
I have frog-kissin trophies. This last year was Frog-Land-Bizarre!

I am so glad you are writing about it now. I am even gladder you love your job. You did an amazing job speaking of needs; wants and desires vis a vis your jobs. I can relate. I am really glad for you. Your Mentor sounds wonderful.

Great post that anyone anywhere who has worked at all can relate to. I remember the stress and anxiety when a job just didn’t fit, and I can remember the pure joy when it did. Then there were all those ones that fell in between. 🙂 So happy for you, Joey, that you found a job that not only makes you happy but fits the needs of your family. Bravo and have a fantastic weekend. 🙂

She seems to think so, too. I make her laugh A LOT, usually being funny, but at least twice a week, she’s like, “Nooooo, not like that!” and I’m all, “I ASKED YOU!” and then cackle, cackle, cackle! 😛
It really is a sorta sweet spot of employment. Fortunately, I’ve lived long enough not to take it for granted, cause there are a few I can say that about looking back when I was all young and stupid, like great jobs are everywhere, lol!

So happy for you. Even great jobs come with a scoop of suck, in my experience. I’ve had bad ones and good ones, and needed to read this today. I don’t appreciate my situation enough. I’ll work to do that in the coming weeks.

OMG! In my mind and universe Joey, YOU ARE THE !%er! So very few people get this situation in their work life! WOW, WOW, WOW! Mind you I would love #10 with the Free parking. Shaded parking. Conveniently located at the office, no ramps, no half-mile walk out to Scooby-Doo 6, but I would love the Birds, squirrels, cats, and ants. I’d make it in early just to photograph those. Just sayin.

I’m so happy for you! Mentor and you are so very blessed to have found each other and make it work! That’s not something happens often! I hope it lasts for as long as you and Mentor need it to. xx

I go out there without my phone a lot, I like to just be outside. But you’re right, I could get some decent snaps now and again.
Thought of you today as I crossed a small dirt path between parking lots — saw a baby yellow finch. Thought surely you’d be able to snap his bath in the mud puddle and make it look fabulous! Alas, I could not.
I hope Mentor and I work together long term, but I can tell, she will always be my mentor.
And thank you! xx

Yay for you, Joey! I read this and smiled. I loved your Mentor stories so I am very happy you are back working together. My company has changed. Dad owner retired and turned over to son. Things are changing–out with the old ideas and in with the new. Employees dropping like flies–don’t like change. I like what I do, I like who I do it with. I like coming home, too, but I have no qualms about leaving in the morning. Those things really mean a ton when you have to work. A tip of my coffee cup to you.

I’m glad you’re able to roll with the changes.
Oh my goodness, leaving in the morning, the morning, is just the pits, lol! I’m glad you never struggle with it. I love my job, but I hate morning. I’ve got kids in school, so it made no difference when I didn’t go to work.

This is fanfreakintastic! And, yeah, taking a real coffee cup there signifies serious commitment. I don’t believe I have ever driven anywhere in my entire life without the sun in my eyes. I wouldn’t know how to do it. If I ever started going somewhere without the sun in my eyes, I would think I was going the wrong way and turn around. I am SO HAPPY for you in your perfect work place! They do exist. ❤

I can hear your joyful singing across this World Wide Web…one cannot underestimate the power of windows, a door, and no fluorescent lighting. Honestly!
Congratulations, Joey. I’m doing the happy dance for you. 🙂
I, too, was fired once and no.it.was.not.fun. I still haven’t written a post about it — maybe this will kickstart one!!